163353: Ruling on touching the penis with the right hand

What is the ruling on touching the penis with the right hand in general?
What is the ruling on touching it in the washroom?
What is the ruling on touching it during intercourse?.

Praise be to Allaah.

It is makrooh to
touch the penis with the right hand when urinating, because of the hadeeth
of Abu Qataadah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When one of you
drinks, he should not breathe into the vessel, and when he relieves himself,
he should not touch his penis with his right hand or wipe himself with his
right hand.”

Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 194; Muslim, 393.

According to
another report narrated by Muslim (392): “No one among you should touch his
penis with his right hand when urinating.”

Shaykh ‘Abdullah
ibn Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) said:

This hadeeth
indicates that it is not allowed for the one who is urinating to hold his
penis with his right hand whilst urinating, because this is contrary to
honouring the right hand.

The majority of
scholars interpreted this prohibition as meaning that it is makrooh – as
stated by an-Nawawi and others – because that comes under the heading of
etiquette and good manners, and because it comes under the heading of
protecting the dignity of the right hand. This prohibition does not go so
far as meaning that this action is haraam (rather it is makrooh and
disliked).

Dawood az-Zaahiri
and Ibn Hazm were of the view that it is prohibited in the sense of being
haraam, based on the principle that prohibition of a thing means that it is
haraam.

But the view of
the majority is more likely to be correct, and that this prohibition is by
way of showing etiquette and proper manners. This is supported by, among
other things, the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) about the penis: “Is it anything other than a part of you…?”

End quote from
Minhah al-‘Allaam Sharh Buloogh al-Maraam, 1/312

Al-Khattaabi (may
Allah have mercy on him) said: Touching the penis with the right hand is
only disliked so as to protect it from touching part of the body that could
be unclean and dirty. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
used his right hand for eating, drinking and dressing himself, and his left
hand for other bodily functions.

End quote from
Ma‘aalim as-Sunan, 1/23

Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Because when a
person is urinating, some drops may fall on him, and if that happens, they
should fall on the left hand, not the right hand. But sometimes a person may
be compelled to do that (use the right hand), and if that is the case then
there is nothing wrong with it, such as if he cannot move his left hand; in
that case he has no choice but to touch his penis with his right hand, and
there is nothing wrong with it. But when there is no need for that, the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade that and said:
“No one among you should touch his penis with his right hand when he is
urinating.”

End quote from
ash-Sharh al-Mukhtasar li Buloogh al-Maraam.

Secondly:

In the hadeeth,
this prohibition is limited to when one is urinating, so it may be
understood that it is permissible at other times.

In his Saheeh,
al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) named one of his chapters,
“Chapter: One should not hold the penis with the right hand when he
urinates.

Al-Haafiz (may
Allah have mercy on him) said: In this title, he indicated that what is
narrated about not touching the penis with the right hand in general terms,
as in the preceding chapter, is to be interpreted in the light of the
reports that are more specific and state that this applies when one is
urinating, so in other situations it is permissible.

End quote from
Fath al-Baari, 1/254

In his Sunan,
Abu Dawood (may Allah have mercy on him) named one of his chapters: It is
makrooh to touch the penis with the right hand when cleaning oneself.

In at-Taaj
wa’l-Ikleel (1/388) it says: The fuqaha’ understood this as meaning that
it is makrooh, and the prohibition on touching it in the other hadeeth is
limited to when one is cleaning oneself. End quote.

Based on that, it
is permissible to touch it with the right hand during intercourse, unless
there is the fear that that hand may be contaminated with madhiy, in which
case it is makrooh.